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6:00 am

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6:50 am

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8:00 am

Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. Hosts Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep present the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. While they are out traveling, David Greene can be heard as regular substitute host. Matt McCleskey and the WAMU news team bring the latest news from the Washington Metro area. Jerry Edwards keeps an eye on the daily commute. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

The Pentagon plans to notify members of Congress Wednesday about its plans to furlough some 800,000 civilian employees later this spring. That's just one consequence of the federal government's automatic spending cuts which are due to take effect next week. President Obama is urging Congress to halt the cuts, at least temporarily, while lawmakers try to craft a more lasting budget agreement.

Bipartisan groups of lawmakers are working together on overhauling immigration. On Tuesday, President Obama spoke with several of the senators involved. But there's been some controversy over a draft White House proposal on immigration that was made public.

A copyright ruling from the Library of Congress covers whether people may buy a phone from one carrier and then use it with another. A recent change makes it illegal to unlock a phone, or untie it from the original carrier, without permission. But some people are petitioning the White House to undo that change.

Pollsters still do surveys for private clients, but are banned from publishing any results. Some websites have found coded ways to report survey results. A gambling site reports polls disguised as fake horse racing results, with horses named after political parties.

An exhibit in a Vienna Museum titled "Nude Men" from 1800 to the present drew a group of 60 men who stripped down to view it. In a special after-hours tour, they viewed the exhibition in nothing but socks and shoes. The tour guide was dressed.

Renee Montagne gets an update from New York Times correspondent Lydia Polgreen on the bail hearing for South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius. He is charged with murdering his model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Monday, February 18, 2013

There's a new cyberbullying law in North Carolina — but it's not for students who torment other students. It's one of the first of its kind that punishes students who target teachers online. Teachers groups and free speech organizations are split on what the law hopes to accomplish.

Every month, the government sends out about 5 million paper checks to Americans who receive federal benefits. As of March 1, however, the Treasury Department is planning to make those checks a thing of the past. It's encouraging holdouts to move to direct deposit or a debit card.

A surprising number of TV weather presenters are vocal deniers of climate change, while others fear audience backlash if they talk about such a polarizing topic. But one meteorologist in South Carolina is waging a climate education campaign, and says it's going over well.

A 3-D printer allows people to easily create Yoda busts, Tintin's rocket ship — and even NPR action figures. But as this technology gets cheaper, the budding industry could face the same intellectual property battles that upended the music business a decade ago.

The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether the federal government can be sued for the actions of prison guards. It comes 50 years after the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright ruling required states to provide counsel for indigent criminal defendants, a case that also began with a long shot, longhand plea from behind bars.

The African nation of Mali has long claimed it gave birth to the blues. Renee Montagne reports that the country's musical tradition was threatened this past year when Islamist militants took over the deserts of northern Mali and banned music.

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